Bayern to subsidize supporters’ tickets

Bayern Munich won five trophies in 2013 and are indisputably the best team in the world right now.

As such, the laws of supply and demand dictate that they could charge whatever they want for people to come and see them. In all likelihood, if they tripled the prices at the Allianz Arena they would still sell out every game, even if their loyal working class supporters were out-priced.

But of course, German teams do not think like their money-hungry Premier League equivalents. For their forthcoming game at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium — where Manchester City fans famously protested against England’s most expensive tickets — Bayern have made the decision to put €90,000 towards the cost of their fans’ ticket allocation, reducing their cost by 42%. Of course, the German fans will still have to fork out for flights with expensive London airport taxes, costly London public transport and exorbitant accommodation prices, but the gesture perfectly encapsulates the idea that Bundesliga sides consider their fans to be cherished members, not customers.

To put it in perspective, the morning after West Ham were drubbed 6-0 by Manchester City in the League Cup semi-final, they put out a full-page newspaper advertisement stating that fans must pay £42 for the privilege of enduring the horror of the home leg.

That’s £5 more than the Bayern fans will be paying to see the Champions League Round of 16 tie.